Updates (Kind of like Bits and Pieces)

 * My doctor answered the message I sent and agrees it sounds like I had an allergic reaction while on vacation in Cape Cod. He has referred me to an allergist.

* I am never quite ready to come home from vacations even if it rains, which it did. In spite of the rain, and sometimes ocean mist, we had some fabulous beach days.

Cockle Cove Beach- 8/12

Morris Island Loop Trail- 8/13

Chatham Pier and Fish Market- 8/13

First Encounter Beach- 8/13 (sunset)

Marconi Beach- 8/14

Head of the Meadow Beach- 8/16

Provincetown Pier- 8/16

Nauset Beach- 8/17

 

Breakwater Beach- 8/18 (sunset)

* My friend Lisa, who lives on Cape Cod, was able to come visit me Friday morning. We shared coffee and a long talk. She moved back to the Cape 19 years ago! I can't believe it's been so long already. 

* I started my new job on Monday. It's been mostly training so far with a little time in a few classrooms. The first child I was asked to sit by was on a cot attempting to take a nap. God really does have a sense of humor. It was the one little girl whose name I happened to know, although I had never met her or her parents. She is the 2 year old cousin of the twins I just left behind at the other daycare.

* I walked to work Monday morning. Today I took my car and came home for lunch. Such a change from what I've been doing the past six years.

Cape Cod

It's been a beautiful week at the Cape. We visited at least seven beaches (Cocle Cove Beach, First Encounter Beach, Morris Island Loop Trail at the Monomy Wildlife Refuge, Marconi Beach, Head of the Meadow Beach, and Nauset Beach), stopped at the Chatham Pier and Fish Market, and walked down Commercial St. in Provincetown. We bought pie at Marion's Pie Shop and had ice cream at the Brewster Scoop in Brewster, Sundae School in Chatham, and the Ice Cream Cafe in Orleans. 

Our first night we bought clam chowder from Mac's Fish Market. On Sunday we ate at the pier. I got fish (haddock) and chips. On Monday, after our day at the beach, we went to Arnold's Lobster and Cam Bar where Laura and I split a Seafood Platter (whole belly clams, calamari, shrimp, scallops & codfish). When we went to bed four hours later, I was feeling itchy. I had some hives in random places, which is not totally unusual for me. I read my book before we turned out the light. It was when I settled down to sleep that my throat first felt a little scratchy. It got scratchier as time went on and my tongue slowly began to feel thick and stiff. By the time I woke Laura's friend Dorrie, who was sharing a room with me, I couldn't talk above a whisper. (I'd already swallowed an extra Claritin.) Dorrie woke Laura and they called 911 but by the time the EMTs arrived my tongue was starting to feel a little better and my voice was beginning to come back. The head EMT said he didn't think I was having an allergic reaction (at least not anaphylactic) but I didn't eat any more seafood after that. I will admit it has been hard to watch them eat it and go without. I would have loved to have another round of Fish and Chips but I couldn't chance it. I'll be talking with my doctor when I return home.

(I started this while still at the Cape but never had a chance to finish.)

Bits and Pieces

 * Zyrtec withdrawal is going well. I still get itchy but every day is getting better. I've taken both Benadry and NyQuil throughout the week (Yes, I do know they contain antihistamines.) to help me sleep at night. They don't have the same intense itching withdrawal symptoms and I feel confident that I won't become addicted to either one. I honestly only wanted to get through my first week without the Zyrtec and will try sleeping the weekend without either one. I'm no longer wanting to scratch myself down to the bone, so something good must be happening.

* I spent the entire week with babies, anywhere from 3 to 4 of them. On Tuesday I had a clingy 14 month old who eventually spiked a fever. She is such a sweet little thing. I already knew early on that she wasn't feeling well, and since we've had both RSV and Hand, Foot and Mouth Disease going through the daycare, I was fairly confident something was cooking. Her daddy came to get her not too very much into the afternoon. The rest of the week has been spent with Very Littles, anywhere from 6 months down to 3. It's been a busy week full of bottles, diaper changes, and cuddles.

* Last night a few of my own grandchildren were here. I got to snuggle the mermaid and she went to sleep in my arms. *sigh* Number 12 (Logan) and I played catch with a stuffed dolphin while his brothers and Idris bounced off the ceiling and walls. Ha ha! I went from my work daycare home to another. What a fabulous day!

Magically Delicious

I am beginning the grand, new adventure of quitting Zyrtec and let me tell you, this is going to be agonizing. Not only do I have seasonal allergies, but I deal with terrible itching, which is why I have taken antihistamines long term. Every time I forget a day, I begin to experience intense itching. I could scratch myself raw. I have been 

known, in the past, to wake up vigorously scratching my feet, ankles or legs. I've had lines and patches of hives left from my fingernails. Just rubbing up against something can get the itching started, something as simple as removing a piece of clothing. 

Last week I discovered that intense itching is a symptom of withdrawal. I was itching because I was taking the medicine! Oh, boy... It's been two days and it could be three weeks. I tried tapering off the medication a bit last week but even so I am driving myself crazy with the scratching and there is not a part of my being that can't join in the party. (I took a Benadryl this evening in the hope that I'll be able to sleep.)

In other news, better news, my people and I took a trip back to Mendon Ponds this afternoon. Number Nine had several little birds take a seed from his hand and was thoroughly delighted!

 I love watching to look the of wonder and sheer delight come over the faces of my kids and grandchildren when a chickadee lands on their finger. Even Killian found it amusing.

I had needed a walk in the woods and this outing was absolutely perfect.

Here I Am

It's been an exhausting week; allergies, emotions, and a restless night to boot. I have the allergies under control again, at least as far as the throat and congestion. They're still making me sleepy, but maybe that's from taking the allergy medication twice a day instead of once. I think I'll drop it back down again this coming week and see if that helps.

I'm not sure if anything exciting happened. I didn't make any pie, but I did freeze one bag of elderberries and drop the other two off to a friend. Mid week I was given a personal sized elderberry pie and a jar of blueberry jam. A very sweet gift indeed.

Last night I took myself back to the lake for some evening pictures. The park was occupied, but not heavily populated when I arrived, but half and hour later the parking lot and shoreline filled with people. We were not disappointed. The sunset was spectacular.

Today I went to find my friend Gail at her cottage again, picked a few pieces of beach glass off the shore, and dipped my feet into the late summer, lake water. It was warm and wonderful. I am not ready for tomorrow to be Monday.

*Photos from last night's trip to Lake Ontario at Webster Park.

Pressure Release

I have been fighting my yearly allergy induced sinus headaches lately. They get better when I take the decongestant, and then when I am feeling better I forget to take them. Today I went for the big stuff and picked up a package of "maximum strength." It's not a good time to find oneself with a headache no matter what the cause. *sigh*

I made a visit to the therapist today and found myself teary and rambling. All kinds of stuff just spilled out. I guess there's been a lot of stuff piling up. There it was all over the floor, but he didn't seem to mind, and honestly, I always feel better after a few tears, especially when they were unexpected.

I am slowly making my way through those two books I started reading. I put the "Live Saving Divorce" book down for a bit. I got to a point where I felt the need to digest before picking it up again. The evolution book has had my attention instead. I might be halfway through and might be farther along if not for the sinus games.

Tomorrow Rachel and I plan to visit Tim again. They say we can take him out for a ride.

Today Was Good

It was a rather nice kind of Saturday. There were no appointments to rush off to, and nothing terribly important to complete. I didn't sleep in, but I didn't get up terribly early either. I made it to both the bank and the pottery studio.

Having a key to the studio is interesting. I let myself in to a dark and deserted building, warmed by the firing kiln and smelling like clay. I did a little of everything today; wedged some clay, glazed some pots, trimmed a few cups, and flopped some bowls. Here and there a few other shelf renters trickled in and out. It's become a comfortable place with mostly comfortable people. Stress and tensions melt away when I am there, and this is a good thing. I stayed a few hours and left feeling relaxed if not prolific.

On the way home I decided to stop and visit my sister. The puzzle we'd started Wednesday evening waited on her dining room table. She offered me a cup of tea while we finished putting it together. I didn't overstay my welcome, and headed for Wegmans and hour or so later. The Barefoot Lumberjack was on his way to Wegmans too. We met in the parking lot so he could retrieve a few tools he's left in the back of the vehicle I'm now driving.

I hadn't intended to take a nap today, but not long after my return home, I curled up on my bed and drifted off. I'll probably be awake all night doing online jigsaw puzzles. Ha ha!

Rachel and I had our picture taken at church last week. I'm sporting my allergy face from Saturday's visit to the zoo. Today I bought some new medicine to combat the pumpkin I turn into when the molds and pollen start flying. I hope it starts working soon so I can get my eyes open again.

Happy National Cranky Baby Day!

The babies were tired and cranky but didn't want to sleep. Isn't that just the way?
My neck is clawed up. Some babies need to trim their nails. As they climb onto my lap, they reach for me and dig their little talons into my skin.

I am tired too and there are many reasons for this, one of them being I don't get enough sleep. ha ha! Another is the weed population. Since the golden rod is starting to bloom, I imagine that ragweed is hanging out in the fields too. Ragweed makes me sleepy. And still I take pictures of weeds. Because I love them in spite of themselves. (Kind of like those babies.)
:0)

The Barn Collective

It was a short walk because I couldn't shake the sleepy feeling that had descended upon me the past couple of days. (This was yesterday.) Just across the road, down the orchard lane, and around back on the closest road and out again. That's as far as we went, and it was enough.

Perhaps there is a new kind of pollen floating through the air this week. I haven't felt so sleepy since the last pollen explosion, and just as I drastically reduced my coffee consumption too. *sigh* The temptation toward an afternoon iced cappuccino is almost unbearable. Almost. So far I'm still holding out. Mostly in hope of sleeping better at night. Maybe it's working. So far I want to sleep all day too. Of course, staying away from weeds and grass has never been my practice... Especially at evening with a camera in hand.

It's a good thing we live on a country road with lots of country noise because my friend Bubba is making a racket out there in the hen house. My son and husband are looking up capon recipes.... Ha ha. Not really... Well, at least not yet...

I missed the link earlier so I'm linking up now. (Thanks, Tom.)
The Barn Collective

Yesterday, Today, Tomorrow

Yesterday was a good day. I went to the doctor with Bethany and got to see my new grand- daughter on ultrasound. We went to lunch together at Panera and it was really nice to spend some time with her. We should do it more often.

A few weeks ago I had an email from my friend Judy, who lives in the Bronx. She'd told me she was going to be in the area this weekend. I missed her at her father's funeral last year when I was in Minnesota, so I decided to find her and give her that hug I've been saving. She was surprised to see me and we had a nice little visit on her mom's sun porch.

Today was not my very best day. I am fighting either a head cold or allergies. The sinus pain and spacey feeling in my head leave me tired and wanting to sleep. My poor husband had planned a special weekend and it just isn't working out like he'd envisioned. We drove all the way down to the Finger Lakes where we'd planned to stay overnight, only to turn around and come home again a few hours later. I'm hoping for a lesser "spacesuit" and clearer thought processes tomorrow.

Photos from Highland Park on Thursday afternoon.

Allergies, Exhaustion, and Observations

It is allergy season. I am lost in an allergy induced fog. My brain is tired and my body doesn't want to move. It only wants to sleep. Last year I referred to feeling "spacey and lethargic" and so it is again. (And you thought work was killing me.) Speaking of work, it took me all day to figure out why there were so many tissues decorating the floor of various halls and rooms. Could it be allergy season?

So, did I tell you that I'm tired? I'm almost too tired to blog. Almost. Love drives us to do many things, doesn't it? (That is one of the latches on a woodshed at my parent's house.)

The last few weeks have brought me to some different views on previous opinions held. I have had a bit of time now to observe the resident in nursing home care. The mentally and physically alert socialize and go to activities. Their days often consist of eating in the public dining room, visiting with staff, volunteers, and fellow residents, playing Bingo or Yahtzee, and going out with family. Those who are less cognitively alert, unable to navigate the halls independently, or even get out of bed, are left to the mercy of others. Many sit around the nurses' station between meals, napping or waiting for someone to come along and offer a kind word. Bedridden patients press call bells and hope that whoever answers will stay and chat for just a minute or two. It can appear that many of those in our care are simply existing. :( Mom did this much, and so much more. I am just now beginning to fully comprehend how blessed she was, and how blessed I am, for her having been here.

One of our residents received a package in the mail yesterday. She appeared rather shocked and confused by its appearance, but pleased just the same. She rarely leaves her bed and so the box of coloring books, crayons, colored pencils, and a few snacks made her day. There was no card tucked into the box and no return address on the outside. She made various attempts at deciphering who could have sent such a thing.  When I checked in later she was coloring contentedly.

A final word of wisdom. Don't hide a box of Junior Mints in the glove box of your vehicle and forget to eat or share them before the weather warms up. At least tuck them into your lunch box where they will be safe from damaging blasts of unexpected summer heat.

Wednesday

I did something different today. I volunteered a few hours to a local elementary school, the one where my sister has been long term substitute librarian for the past year.  For a few hours I sorted books on the shelves, making sure they were in the proper order and fixing them if they weren't. It wasn't hard aside from my feeble brain wanting to forget what number I had just read from the spine of each book... (582.34 GER, 577 SCH, 599.8 WEX,...) After a time a break is imperative simply because one begins to go cross-eyed and the number blur together. In all honesty, it was kind of fun, and I think perhaps I might need to find a semi-regular volunteer position somewhere.

This afternoon I took a walk about the yard. I went round in circles, back and forth, up and down. Yesterday I took photos of Indian Paintbrushes, today I mowed them down. Well, they weren't actually the same ones I took pictures of, those are still standing, but they looked the same. One should never let the lawn get out of control (not that it was) or it will become necessary to run down and destroy something almost beautiful. I tried to pretend I didn't see them.

Something Different

I promise not to write the same blog and post the same pictures three days in a row. (Not that the last two blogs were exactly the same or anything...) Allergies have hit hard this year and I'm extra spacey and lethargic. In spite of the lethargy, I did manage to help My Darling plant a bit more of the garden this evening, mostly flowers and a bit of cilantro. No amount of coffee keeps me energized during the day. However, staying awake in the middle of the night doesn't appear to be a problem. ha ha!

I've been enjoying the quieter days and attempting to catch up with a little bit of house cleaning, or maybe I should say clearing. What I really need to do is keep up with clearing things out. It's a constant battle for most of us. Things come into our space, set up housekeeping on our shelves and in our closets, and then begin to spill out into our living spaces. I'm working on it a little at a time and am reminded of "how to eat an elephant." (One bite at a time.)

Springing into Summer

Our weather is still confused. One day I am shivering and wishing for the furnace to kick on, and the next the mercury declares it summer. My garden flowers aren't quite sure what to make of it either. Unfortunately, the late spring has done little to deter allergy season. Another few weeks of sneezing, clawing at my nose and throat, and rubbing my eyes and it will all be behind us for another 10 months. Meanwhile flowers have been busting out all over the place! I do love summer!

Saturday

It was a cold morning. I zipped my winter coat against the stinging rain and pulled my hands up inside my sleeves. Saturday is my day to run errands and I set out early this morning; library, bank, drug store, K Mart, Kohls, Old Navy, Target, Hobby Lobby, Wegmans. No craft sale for me today (although I did think about it, because it's on my Fallish List. Maybe next week...) and no antique shop browsing.

I arrived home a little after 2pm to find My Darling raking leaves. No more pretty bronze carpet... *sigh* I helped him load piles of leaves onto tarps and drag them to the garden. After loading one particularly big pile onto the sheet of plastic, I turned around and dropped backward into it's fluffiness and breathed the aroma of autumn. I'll probably pay for it with a headache, but it was nice just the same. Nothing beats the smell of fall.

I am presently in the midst of cooking pizza dough and making pies for tomorrow. A family gathering is planned in honor of our youngest son who is turning 20 on Veteran's Day. Please pray for Ben as he got some kind of acid on/in his mouth at work yesterday. It is causing him considerable pain and he has gone off to the ER/Urgent Care with his dad to have it checked out. Somehow I think he might not be eating pizza tomorrow...

They have returned. :0)

Rolling in the Grass

There is a reason I did not add "Mow the whole yard in one day" to my list of fancy schmancy summertime things to do. In spite of that little fact, I made a valiant attempt to cut as much grass today as humanly possible. My efforts were thwarted several times, once by a ride on mower that first ran out of gas, and then, after I'd dumped all the remaining gasoline in the little red gas can into its tank, the crazy machine decided not to run at all. I went to the barn and picked out a walk behind mower instead, pulled the string, and started off.

The thing about springtime grass is that it grows at an alarming rate. With three and a half acres of grass to our names, you might say that it often "gets away from us". We could probably run all of our mowers nonstop and just about keep up with the growth. Anyhow, it was still early in the day and I was feeling motivated, so back and forth I went across a small section of lawn with my whirring machine. Then, wouldn't you know it? My push mower ran out of gas too, and off I went to the gas station.

I started the day collecting large amounts of grass in the handy-dandy bag that hangs on the back of the push mower, emptying it into a large wheelbarrow every two or three minutes (literally). On my way to dump the first of my clippings behind the barn, I discovered one of my two wheelbarrow tires was flat. Who made that law that says, "If anything can go wrong, it will" anyway? Good thing this wheelbarrow has two tires.

Did I tell you we have a BIG yard? Well, thankfully I had someone who also decided to pull a walk behind mower out of the barn and help me out a bit. Together James and I managed to mow a large portion of this "sprawling estate" and I am happy to report it is looking much tamer, though not thoroughly domesticated. I am totally exhausted. Is it bedtime yet?